9-14-11: Arizona Cardinals Bird Droppings - Clarification On Roughing The Passer

In this mornings batch of links, the most interesting story to me is the one of Richard Marshall's roughing the passer call that took away an Interception by Cam Newton, and how Coach Whiz wants some clarification on why that was called (I think it would be a good thing for one of us who can go back and look at the video to analyze frame by frame).

Also some interesting tidbits on the Cardinals and rookie quarterbacks who set passing records, and a link regarding former Cardinal Antrel Rolle being butthurt about losing to the Redskins.

Taylor's Amazing Story
Cardinals fan comes back from horrific injury to represent team, other fans

2011 Cardinals Week 1: Five observations - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Five things I noticed while watching the Arizona Cardinals defeat the Carolina Panthers, 28-21, in Week 1:

Ken Whisenhunt asks NFL: What is the rule on hitting quarterbacks? | ProFootballTalk
During Sunday’s Panthers-Cardinals game, Carolina quarterback Cam Newton threw an interception that was called back because Arizona defensive back Richard Marshall was flagged for roughing the passer. That flag had Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt wondering what the rule is on hits to quarterbacks. "What exactly is the rule in that instance?" Whisenhunt asked at his press conference. "I mean, that’s something that I’ve got to get clarification on."

The Cardinals rookie QB coincidence
There's something spooky going on with rookie quarterbacks and Arizona. As anybody in a fantasy league knows, Carolina's Cam Newton set an NFL record for a rookie making his league debut, tossing for a mind-boggling 422 yards against the Cardinals. The 2010 Heisman Trophy winner tied the record for most yards in any game by a rookie, owned by Matthew Stafford of the Lions, who threw for 422 against Cleveland in 2009. Stafford's game is the only one among the best recent rookie QB performances that didn't have some tie to the Cardinals:

azcentral.com blogs - Kent Somers - Big plays back in the game plan?
Quarterback Kevin Kolb's two long touchdown passes last Sunday against the Panthers weren't deep balls that beautifully arced into the hands of receiver Larry Fitzgerald. The 48-yarder came when Kolb and tight end Jeff King read blitz. Kolb lobbed the ball out to King, who did the rest. The 70-yarder came when Kolb and receiver Early Doucet read blitz, and Kolb dumped the ball off. Doucet did the rest. Those two passes were especially interesting because last year the Cardinals completed just two passes for more than 40 yards. One, a 43-yard reception by running back Beanie Wells, came in the 12th week, and the other, a 71-yard touchdown to receiver Andre Roberts, came in week 16. So does this mean the big play is again part of the Cardinals offense? We'll see, but the signs are encouraging.

Arizona Cardinals LB Stewart Bradley a work in progress
The Cardinals didn't sign inside linebacker Stewart Bradley to a five-year, $30 million contract in July to stand on the sideline in the fall. Yet, that's where Bradley stayed during most of Sunday's season opener. Bradley didn't start, and he didn't enter the game when Daryl Washington suffered a calf strain in the fourth quarter. Reggie Walker did. This naturally prompted the following nuanced question: What's up with that? When the Cardinals signed Bradley, coach Ken Whisenhunt said Bradley, when healthy, is among the elite linebackers in the NFL.

Yes, some Cardinals' stock rising as well - NFC West Blog - ESPN
In retrospect, the NFC West Stock Watch exiting Week 1 could have used some Arizona Cardinals representation in the "rising" section. I'll go one better than that by creating a separate item honoring multiple Cardinals. Among the candidates worthy of our consideration:

Outside the huddle: Cardinals defensive end Vonnie Holliday
Each week, The Republic spotlights a Cardinals player for a series of on-the-spot, offbeat questions.

Word From the Birds Blog - Peterson up for award, and some other stuff
After his 89-yard punt return for a touchdown, rookie cornerback Patrick Peterson is up for the Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week award, voted on right here by the fans. Of course, it was a pretty big week for rookies — among the other choices are Packers return man Randall Cobb (108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown) and Cam Newton, who may have had a good day in his debut.

Don't let Newton's performance overshadow Kolb's triumph - NFL - CBSSports.com Football
There was no shortage of superlatives to describe the play of one quarterback in Arizona's come-from-behind defeat of Carolina ... only it wasn't the winning one. Nope, it was rookie Cam Newton, and there are 422 reasons why. The guy not only set a rookie record for a pro debut, he brought an energy to Carolina's offense that hasn't been seen since ... well, ever. But there was another quarterback in that game, and, hard as it is to imagine, he played equally well. He didn't break a record. He didn't run through defenders. He didn't make Sunday-night analysts salivate. He didn't even get first mention in stories about the victory ... his victory. Nevertheless, the Cardinals' Kevin Kolb did what he was supposed to do, which was make big plays, make accurate passes and, yes, win.

Arizona Cardinals' Kevin Kolb utilizes tight ends in season opener vs. Carolina Panthers
If teams try to take Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald out of the equation - as the Carolina Panthers did rather well Sunday with their aggressive double coverage - quarterback Kevin Kolb will need another reliable target. But guess what? Kolb says he has four of those just with his tight ends. Veterans Todd Heap and Jeff King played instrumental roles in Sunday's 28-21 victory, catching a combined four passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. And when youngsters such as Jim Dray and Rob Housler are ready to step in and contribute on a regular basis, the position figures to become more valuable.

NFC West Stock Watch - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Falling: Arizona Cardinals cornerbacks. Rookie Patrick Peterson and former wide receiver A.J. Jefferson were making their first regular-season starts at cornerback for the Cardinals. By the time their day was done, Cam Newton had passed for 422 yards, a record for a rookie making his first start. Peterson and Jefferson were not solely to blame, of course. Effective coverage requires trust and coordination throughout the secondary. Still, coach Ken Whisenhunt was diplomatic when he said: "I think if we can get these two young guys to keep improving and getting more time in these games, we're going to be OK."

Cardinals tickets among cheapest in NFL - ArizonaSports.com
The Cardinals are cheap, but in a good way. It doesn't cost much to see a Cardinals game live, at least, not when compared to some other NFL teams. According to the Phoenix Business Journal, Team Marketing Report's annual rankings have the Cardinals at 26th out of 32 teams when it comes to average cost to attend an NFL game.

Cardinals win over Panthers scores big ratings - ArizonaSports.com
The Cardinals thrilling season-opening victory over the Carolina Panthers was also a big winner in terms of TV ratings.

Cards Daily: Peterson Eager To Improve
After making his NFL debut against the Panthers, rookie CB Patrick Peterson knows that there is room for improvement.

Cardinals, DVHS Rally for Breast Cancer Awareness
Offensive lineman Jeremy Bridges, kicker Jay Feely, Cardinals Cheerleaders, and Big Red attended a pep rally at Desert Vista High School to promote Breast Cancer Awareness.

Arizona Sports News:

Diamondbacks inch closer after 10-inning win vs. Dodgers
Right-hander Ian Kennedy had had just six games this season in which he allowed as many runs as he did in the first inning alone Tuesday night. Though the four-run frame might have been a blow to his Cy Young candidacy and prevented him from becoming the National League's first 20-game winner, it wasn't enough to sink the pesky Diamondbacks, who chipped away at the lead and eventually came away with a 5-4 win in 10 innings at Dodger Stadium.

NFL News:

What's wrong with the NFL - ArizonaSports.com
The offense always lags behind the defense. This has been an axiom of football since the days of leather helmets and Wing-T's. But this has not been the case in the National Football League in the year of Our Lord, 2011. Offenses have been lighting up defenses like a South Phoenix searchlight. Fourteen quarterbacks threw for over 300-yards in week one of the NFL season; 4-quarterbacks threw for over 400-yards (a new record for any week of the season); and Tom Brady threw for over 500-yards. What is going on in the National Football league? Are we seeing some seismic-shift in the talent of quarterbacks, some new laws or stipulations that rule a paradigm we have never seen?

Brian Urlacher Leaves Bears For Family Emergency, Week 2 Status Uncertain - SBNation.com
Brian Urlacher has left the Chicago Bears to deal with a family emergency, leaving his status for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints in question.

Antrel Rolle: Giants the better team
Antrel Rolle admits that the New York Giants defense has a lot of work to do after the Redskins won the season opener. But the safety believes that if the two NFC East rivals played each other 100 times, New York would prevail at least 95 times.

Seahawks-Steelers game will have a familiar referee | ProFootballTalk
There’s nothing like picking at an old scar to generate some page views.

Tony Romo Played 'Outstanding' Vs. The Jets, Jerry Jones Says - From Our Editors - SBNation.com
Tony Romo's been the butt of roughly a billion NFL jokes over the past 48 hours, but while the football world snickers, Jerry Jones says he thought his QB played great in New York on Sunday. [pause, to let the world snicker at that]

Where NFC West teams rank: Week 1 - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Tuesdays during the regular season are generally when we examine statistical rankings for NFC West teams on offense and defense. These gain in meaning as teams play additional games, of course.

Power Rankings: How the voters voted - NFC West Blog - ESPN
Our power rankings voters weren't quite ready to send Andrew Luck to the Indianapolis Colts following Week 1. Check back in another week.

NFL power rankings - Week 2
11. (15) Arizona Cardinals: Thanks to some unexpected losses elsewhere, the Cardinals move up four spots following their win over Carolina. If the defensive secondary makes the proper adjustments, Arizona can open 3-0 with the Redskins and Seahawks next up on the schedule.

NFL Power Rankings Week 2: Packers Remain Supreme; Ravens, Bears Move Up - SBNation.com
SB Nation's second set of NFL power rankings are here. The Packers remain on top while the Colts take a major tumble.